Wednesday, June 5, 2013

New Imagination Station books (age 6 - 9 yrs) ~ Book Review

This month I have 2 books to feature for beginning readers. Perfect for reading aloud with your kids at bedtime, transition times, and for kids who are able to read independently. The first book has already been released and the second in the series (#11) is available for pre-order.

About the series:
Join cousins Patrick and Beth in the Imagination Station and travel through history. Sail with Viking explorers! Meet a Roman emperor! The key to adventure lies within your imagination. (for ages 7 and up)

Challenge on the Hill of Fire
Series: The Imagination Station
ISBN: 978-1589976948$4.99$4.49 (paperback)
(Read the first chapter)

About the book:
Kidnapped by Celtic Druids in 433, Patrick and Beth are headed to certain death when followers of a former Irish Slave (Saint Patrick, called Patritius in this book) save them. The cousins find themselves in the midst of a power struggle between Ireland’s King Logaire, Patritius, and the leader of the Druids, Lochru. A spiritual showdown begins on the Hill of Slane when Patritius builds a fire, challenging the King’s authority. Will Patritius prove to the king that the God of the Bible is the true God? Or will the king take sides with the Druids? The Emerald Isle holds many tales and legends, but this story of truth and standing strong for God is not one to be missed.

My thoughts:
Challenge on the Hill of Fire is a take off of the story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal where he challenges them to get their god to light their sacrifice - and of course only the true God could do that (1 Kings 18:16-39). This story takes place in Ireland during the struggle between the druids and Patritius (St Patrick) when he is trying to share the gospel with the Irish People and he ends up rescuing Beth and Patrick from slavers. The time period is a violent period and this book is a good introduction to the persecution Christians have dealt with over the centuries. Your children will have questions and it opens up opportunities for you to teach your children about being kind to others, standing up for what's right and showing them how the true message of God & Jesus is about peace, love and the incredible gift God has given us through Jesus his Son.

About the book:
If you’re brave, follow cousins Beth and Patrick to Libya in the 13th century. The town of Silene is being terrorized by a vicious animal that is eating livestock. The townspeople believe it’s a dragon sent by the devil. In order to appease the beast, the people believe they must offer a human sacrifice—a young girl named Sabra. When Beth tries to help Sabra escape, she too is tied up as an offering for the dragon. Meanwhile, Patrick and a new friend named Hazi join Georgius, a Roman knight who is serving in Africa to keep peace. Georgius decides to find the dragon and kill it. Georgius’s plans go awry when Beth and Sabra beg him not to kill the dragon. The girls know the true secret of Silene—the dragon isn’t its worst enemy.

My thoughts:
Once again, we have a fun action packed new book for young readers who are just starting to get involved in chapter books with a little meat on them. This particular book takes place during the Roman age and involves dragons, a roman guard who believes in Christos (Christ) and is being persecuted by his superior in the army. This roman guard stands up for Beth & Patrick when they are threatened with being put in the stocks for "sneaking" into port and his superior blames a innocent merchant for bringing them and tries to tax him for something he didn't do.

The main theme of this book is bullying and standing up for what you believe in. It opens up with Beth feeling bad because she didn't defend a little friend from school who is being bullied ~ Whit sends her and Patrick back in time to find out what it feels like to be on the receiving end and to see what happens when you stand up for others.

As usual, outstanding story. It's a little wooden but kids aren't going to notice that. The story moves fast and your children will learn a little about history at the same time. There is a nice little Q&A in the back of the book as well as a puzzle and a very short interview with the daughter of one of the authors. You can go online to http://www.whitsend.org/imaginationstation and read more.